About Safaris; Coming Back

The first time I went to India, I knew I'd be going back. It was my first experience with what was, for me, an exotic destination. I went with a group organized by Club Aventure; our guide was French, and after the trip, I felt I had learned enough to go back on my own. And I did—twice. I all, I spent nine months there.

Tanzania's National Park system and safari touring infrastructure is, to me, absolutely perfect. Your guide is always with you, but at nights he stays in guide quarters while guests reside in the lodges and tented camps described in posts below.

When you arrive,you are often given a drink of fruit juice and sometimes a hot towel to wash your face and hands. There are natural and commercial amenities to enjoy and the meals are presented differently in each location. When you register and printed in the rooms, you are given all the information you need. You are well thought for in terms of information, mosquito netting (that I rarely use—I hardly see any and everything you sleep in is very well netted, the whole environment, I mean,so you don't need the nets. It's the flies that bother me, truth be told.

Breakfast is served in the morning.i find there is plenty of everything. Breakfast is usually eggs (how you like them), sausages, cereal, fruit, yogurt, toast, buns, pancakes, cheese and juice, tea and coffee. Then you and your driver are given a box lunch to eat. During the next days safari. The lodges also have petrol for the trucks.

Once here, no money changes hands. My room and meals were prepaid. My drinks and/or any services I need are charged to the room and I pay when I check out. Management does not want staff handling money. There is a tip box in each lobby and it is shared under a self-administered system.

Then off you go on safari and then the system is repeated, with a twist, each time. Sometimes power is only available for certain hours, sometimes there is wifi, sometimes you chooses your meals and other times they are menu du jour (I am always easily and delightfully accommodated with a veggie meal). This ain't France; it's more like nicely done home cooking.

And not a single aspect of this safari is the result of my input. I just painted the broad strokes and wound up able to do the whole shebang—Morocco, Egpyt and here—in a way that accommodated a fifteen-day safari. I feel it is a perfect amount of time because it allowed for a bit of rest, some experiences with people and some history (the Leakey Museum) and not too much driving any day (besides, with the landscapes, flora and fauna, there's really no such thing as too much driving). And you can stand when the roof is open and, like a kid or a dog, enjoy the rush of wind and smell against your face as you ride through the parks.

Next time, I will make every decision. I have this experience to inform it. Next time: more time on the ground to see the details, some interactive experience with animals (not just observational), hopefully not alone, but DEFINITELY not with anyone I don't know. I have seen the sardines—groups of people packed into trucks who have to share a very small space for a great percentage of every day. I'll do it again alone before being part of a corporately assembled group.

Location:Shangani St,Zanzibar Town,Tanzania